"You're not making good choices, Phoebe!" A July 2015 Trip Report *completed 1/2/16*
- Thread starter xlsm
- Start date
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
Thank you! I'm glad you're here
It was really nice! A lot of the out of the way areas of the park were totally empty...it was strange but awesome! This was probably our best park day of the trip.
It was so good!!
You are on a roll with updates! Sounds like the trip is off to a great start
I organized all of the photos for this first day - there were just over 100 - and I think that took longer than putting together the updates so far! This day really did get us off to a great start
Thank you! Yes! I got them from an Etsy shop that I follow on Instagram called EarBowtique. I have two pairs from her, the Veras and also a Snow White pair. They are gorgeous, comfortable to wear, and I got so many compliments and comments on them during the trip. I have another pair from a different shop, but was unable to wear them in the parks because they were too top heavy, so EarBowtique definitely has my recommendation! Her shop is not open all of the time, but if you follow on Instagram, she announces sales and openings there.
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
There's something strange about coming home from vacation and having the temperatures and humidity be worse than Florida. I was planning to mow my jungle yard this morning, but it is already so hot. Looks like that'll have to wait until this evening or tomorrow morning instead.
It's summer, we have no plans for today, so I'm going to get this first day finished off!!
Welcome to...
Chapter Two Part Three...in which we live the Dream
When I left you yesterday, we were finishing up our yummy lunch at 50's Prime Time and the boys had scored free dessert (lucky ducks! seriously, when is MY birthday trip??)
Before we left, the manager came over and asked me about the ears that I was wearing (the Vera Bradley Midnight with Mickey print). I told her they were an etsy find. I got so many compliments on these ears and the Snow White pair I have from her during the trip! For anyone interested, the shop is called the EarBowtique. Due to high volume of orders, she's closed a lot, but if you follow her instagram account you will see the shop openings. I have ears from another shop, but these are the best in my opinion. (I could never wear my ears from the other shop into the parks because they were too top heavy
)
Anyway...
So we were leaving lunch, it was hot, we were full...where to go?
To live One Man's Dream, of course!
When I walk in there, I feel like I'm in the scene from Night at the Roxbury where they walk into the club for the first time, and they're like, "What's up? What's up? What's up?" all rapid fire because it is like sensory overload for them.
I mean, WHERE do you look first?? It can be quite overwhelming.
We started with the Mouse.
L channeled Uncle Walt
(is it just me or is Walt super dreamy in this photo? Just me? Ok...)
I think this is by far my favorite vignette:
I visited my best gal Snow
The complexity of the animation process never ceases to amaze me. When you think about the moving pictures at the time, and the technology that was being introduced, Snow White really holds its own as a touchstone film in the industry. It's pretty amazing.
X found his favorite lucky rabbit
and DH got his geek on with Honest Abe
I have to tell you, I'm endlessly fascinated by the animatronic figures found throughout the parks. I'm dazzled by Ursula in the Little Mermaid ride, held captive by Lumiere and the Wardrobe while listening to Belle's enchanted tale, and spellbound by the Hall of Presidents. The lifelike movements are mindblowing (and sometimes a little creepy!).
I had to have a picture of what is probably my very favorite Walt Disney quote:
If you have not watched Meet the Robinsons, I encourage you all to do so. It revolves around the idea that we need to keep moving forward and to never give up. I cry every. single. time. at the ending.
One more shot inside, in honor of the Animal Kingdom
(I'm kind of obsessed with the Tree of Life, as you'll probably see when I get to the update about our AK day!)
After we spent some time in the museum area, it was time for the film to start. There was quite a crowd, which made me happy! I want this attraction to stay around forever. (anyone else get choked up during this film??? Ugh, I'm such a baby! Or, maybe not a baby...let's just call me sensitive to nostalgia!)
When the movie ended, the doors opened, and almost immediately there was a huge crash of thunder. People actually screamed. I was like, have you never heard that before people? Get a grip.
It was time for our first afternoon thunderstorm of the trip! The CMs let us go backward out of the theater and back into the museum so we wouldn't have to go out into the pouring rain. And it was really coming down! We spent a little more time looking around in there, and when the rain looked like it had slowed to a soft mist, we made our way outside. About 10 paces outside of the building, it started coming down hard again. Of course.
We quickly (as quickly as you can in flip flops during a flood) walked to the Great Movie Ride, which had a posted wait of 25 minutes, but we basically walked right on!
And the rain rain rain came down down down.
We had the red time card on this one:
Our wait was very short, just the amount of time it took to walk through the queue, and for them to load up about three cars, which they were loading really fast.
Soon we were on our way...
We were hijacked by a gangster, which was fun, because last year we had the cowboy.
He tried to steal some jewels...
Honestly. When will they learn that's a bad idea???
Overall, we really enjoyed the updates to this ride! The narration and especially the clips at the end. It was actually quite moving! (or maybe I'm being a baby again!)
The one complaint I have is that the new narration limits the interaction with the gangster. Either that or we just had a really terrible gangster who was phoning it in and trying to get away with as little witty banter as possible. Regardless, we enjoyed our trip through the movies.
When we exited the ride, the rain had stopped, and Goofy and Pluto were out meeting. We decided to visit Goofy because he was all decked out in his fancy Hollywood gear:
Looks like X is explaining something deep and philosophical to the blank-eyed Goof.
Damp and tired, we all decided to head back to the Lodge for a swim, and to recharge for our return visit that evening!
Part Four to follow immediately...
It's summer, we have no plans for today, so I'm going to get this first day finished off!!
Welcome to...
Chapter Two Part Three...in which we live the Dream
When I left you yesterday, we were finishing up our yummy lunch at 50's Prime Time and the boys had scored free dessert (lucky ducks! seriously, when is MY birthday trip??)
Before we left, the manager came over and asked me about the ears that I was wearing (the Vera Bradley Midnight with Mickey print). I told her they were an etsy find. I got so many compliments on these ears and the Snow White pair I have from her during the trip! For anyone interested, the shop is called the EarBowtique. Due to high volume of orders, she's closed a lot, but if you follow her instagram account you will see the shop openings. I have ears from another shop, but these are the best in my opinion. (I could never wear my ears from the other shop into the parks because they were too top heavy
)Anyway...
So we were leaving lunch, it was hot, we were full...where to go?
To live One Man's Dream, of course!
When I walk in there, I feel like I'm in the scene from Night at the Roxbury where they walk into the club for the first time, and they're like, "What's up? What's up? What's up?" all rapid fire because it is like sensory overload for them.
I mean, WHERE do you look first?? It can be quite overwhelming.
We started with the Mouse.
L channeled Uncle Walt
(is it just me or is Walt super dreamy in this photo? Just me? Ok...)
I think this is by far my favorite vignette:
I visited my best gal Snow
The complexity of the animation process never ceases to amaze me. When you think about the moving pictures at the time, and the technology that was being introduced, Snow White really holds its own as a touchstone film in the industry. It's pretty amazing.
X found his favorite lucky rabbit
and DH got his geek on with Honest Abe
I have to tell you, I'm endlessly fascinated by the animatronic figures found throughout the parks. I'm dazzled by Ursula in the Little Mermaid ride, held captive by Lumiere and the Wardrobe while listening to Belle's enchanted tale, and spellbound by the Hall of Presidents. The lifelike movements are mindblowing (and sometimes a little creepy!).
I had to have a picture of what is probably my very favorite Walt Disney quote:
If you have not watched Meet the Robinsons, I encourage you all to do so. It revolves around the idea that we need to keep moving forward and to never give up. I cry every. single. time. at the ending.
One more shot inside, in honor of the Animal Kingdom
(I'm kind of obsessed with the Tree of Life, as you'll probably see when I get to the update about our AK day!)
After we spent some time in the museum area, it was time for the film to start. There was quite a crowd, which made me happy! I want this attraction to stay around forever. (anyone else get choked up during this film??? Ugh, I'm such a baby! Or, maybe not a baby...let's just call me sensitive to nostalgia!)
When the movie ended, the doors opened, and almost immediately there was a huge crash of thunder. People actually screamed. I was like, have you never heard that before people? Get a grip.
It was time for our first afternoon thunderstorm of the trip! The CMs let us go backward out of the theater and back into the museum so we wouldn't have to go out into the pouring rain. And it was really coming down! We spent a little more time looking around in there, and when the rain looked like it had slowed to a soft mist, we made our way outside. About 10 paces outside of the building, it started coming down hard again. Of course.
We quickly (as quickly as you can in flip flops during a flood) walked to the Great Movie Ride, which had a posted wait of 25 minutes, but we basically walked right on!
And the rain rain rain came down down down.
We had the red time card on this one:
Our wait was very short, just the amount of time it took to walk through the queue, and for them to load up about three cars, which they were loading really fast.
Soon we were on our way...
We were hijacked by a gangster, which was fun, because last year we had the cowboy.
He tried to steal some jewels...
Honestly. When will they learn that's a bad idea???
Overall, we really enjoyed the updates to this ride! The narration and especially the clips at the end. It was actually quite moving! (or maybe I'm being a baby again!)
The one complaint I have is that the new narration limits the interaction with the gangster. Either that or we just had a really terrible gangster who was phoning it in and trying to get away with as little witty banter as possible. Regardless, we enjoyed our trip through the movies.
When we exited the ride, the rain had stopped, and Goofy and Pluto were out meeting. We decided to visit Goofy because he was all decked out in his fancy Hollywood gear:
Looks like X is explaining something deep and philosophical to the blank-eyed Goof.
Damp and tired, we all decided to head back to the Lodge for a swim, and to recharge for our return visit that evening!
Part Four to follow immediately...
Newsies
Headlines don't sell papes.
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2013
Your day just keeps getting better!!!
I've never visited One Man's Dream, even though I keep telling myself I'm going to. I really, really have to try it next trip!
I'm eager to see the TCM updates to the Great Movie Ride, but I'm not an expert on GMR by any means so I'm not sure I'd notice anything was different!
Yay for running into Goofy and Pluto!!!
I've never visited One Man's Dream, even though I keep telling myself I'm going to. I really, really have to try it next trip!
I'm eager to see the TCM updates to the Great Movie Ride, but I'm not an expert on GMR by any means so I'm not sure I'd notice anything was different!
Yay for running into Goofy and Pluto!!!
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
Chapter Two Part Four
Our afternoon break was a welcome respite, and we felt renewed and ready to head back to DHS for the evening!
Do I look like I'm at Disney World or what??
Ears on, pin lanyard around my neck, Stitch sunglasses, Parkbound button, unflattering room selfie...check. Yep, I'm in Disney World.
We were hungry, so we went downstairs to Roaring Fork for dinner. I really enjoy the quick serve here. For dinner, DH and I had one of my favorite food items on property, the roast beef and blue cheese sandwich on herbed focacia with house-made chips:
I love this sandwich! I don't even know what makes it so good...it's just good. It's tender roast beef, caramelized onions, a blue cheese spread, lettuce, and tomato. Delicious.
The kids both had the pepperoni flat bread
I know it doesn't look like anything special, but it is very good as well.
DH got a brownie, too, which was so rich that we all tried one bite of it, then decided to wrap it up and save it for later. X had a sprinkled sugar cookie (the sugar cookies there are the BEST!), and L and I shared a S'mores cupcake:
This is my favorite Disney cupcake! It's a slightly sweet graham crackerish flavored cake filled with a milk chocolate center, marshmallow frosting, and a Hershey bar nib stuck in the top as a pretty garnish. Try this cupcake!!
Our plan for the evening was to return to Hollywood Studios for some shopping and Fantasmic. I wanted to ride Tower of Terror again, but we weren't able to. We got to the park and saw these topiaries:
Look, I enjoy Frozen, but I got over the Fever a long time ago. They are EVERYWHERE in the parks, so no more worries about having trouble finding merch. Look to your left, there's Frozen stuff. Look to your right, there's Frozen stuff.
That being said...
These topiaries are absolutely gorgeous.
Elsa (who I'm really not a fan of) is fierce:
and Anna (my fave!) is sweet:
When I'd finished gawking at the sisters, we found a pp photographer to take our pictures, but there was a family in front of us, so we waited. While waiting, we noticed something CRAZY. Off to the side, before even going through the tapstiles, Aladdin, Jasmine, AND THE GENIE were out meeting to the side WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER.
I was internally freaking out, my mouth was literally hanging open, and my eyes were bugged out of my head. I started walking over when their handler informed me they were taking their last photo and were heading back in to prepare for Fantasmic. I was so sad!
We went back over to the pp photographer and had our picture made with the Frozen Summer Fun sand sculpture instead. Boo hoo.
When we got into the park, we wandered around taking everything in, looked in some stores, and found the pin station where X had wanted buy something earlier in the day. It was a set of two pins, Stitch with his blanket and bottle with a tiny Scrump. Then he realized he forgot his money at the resort. I can't remember if we caved and bought it for him, or if we made him wait and found it somewhere else. I know he ended up with it eventually.
What had started out as a cool, comfortable early evening rapidly became hot and humid as the sun decided to peek out for awhile. L said he didn't feel well, and had to go to the restroom. After that, we looked in some more shops, but I knew it was time to be thinking about getting to Fantasmic. DH and X went to get us some water from a QS to take in, while I took L BACK to a restroom because he was feeling bad again.
I was stressing out at this point, because I took him to the restroom in front of ToT. On the way here, you pass the lines for Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic. There was a HUGE line, all over the sidewalk...Tour Groups. They were filling up the entire area. I texted DH, and he came over to wait for L while X and I made our way over to the line. The line was stretching from the entrance area for Fantasmic allllllll the way back down the sidewalk, past Beauty and the Beast and to the corner. I asked the people in front of me if this was really the line for Fantasmic and they said yes. I turned around for a minute to talk to the people behind me, and when I faced forward again, I noticed they were gone. A CM came by to make sure everyone was on the sidewalk, and reminded us that the Fantasmic show would be very full, and that there would be a later showing. I knew this, but wanted the early show because we were going to MK the next morning. The people behind me asked her if this was, indeed, the line for Fantasmic, and she said yes.
I tried asking one of the tour group girls if they were in line for Fantasmic, but she didn't speak English. After some pointing to signs and miming a little, we managed to communicate, and she let me know that they were actually waiting for Beauty and the Beast. Almost immediately following that, I heard another CM yelling over the crowd that standby seating for Fantasmic was beginning.
Guess what?
We got to pass all of those Tour Group kids and head on into the theater.
It was a VERY hectic and stressful 20 minutes before we got everything figured out, so I was happy to be going on in. I texted DH again to let him know what was happening, and X and I made our way down toward the seating area (that is one long walk!).
We were seated in the Ursula section at the end of the row, right by the rope separating us from the dining package area, about 2/3 of the way up on row S.
Finally!
It was one hour to show time at this point, so it was time for goofy selfies, cheesy smiles, and general silliness:
The dining section was currently empty, but not for long:
As you can see, it was a full house!
The tour kids had arrived and they were chanting and shouting and pretty much driving everyone insane. I just reminded my family that they were teenagers on a special trip away from their home country, and if we were in their shoes, we'd probably be whooping it up too.
You can tell by that attitude that our trip was just beginning, and the groups hadn't started wearing on me yet.
That would change.
Anyway, the show got started, and we were all very excited. I took a couple of pictures that turned out terrible before deciding to give up on photos of the show. Here's one that's ok:
The show moving right along, the crowd was really into it, and the Pocahontas part began. The canoes came out, and it was lovely. The mood during this is quite heavy and atmospheric...John Smith swooped out on his rope and then...
Blackout.
Quiet.
Announcement:
"Due to an unexpected occurrence, this showing of Fantasmic has been stopped. We will attempt to resume shortly"
Lots of disappointed groans, sighs, shifting around on the seats, etc...
We sat for awhile, then decided we didn't want to wait around for something that might never start back up, figured we could try to catch it later in the week, and made our way toward the exit.
We took a few photos on the way out, stopped for a pp photographer in front of the gates, and headed toward the buses.
At the bus stop, we saw some firework flashes, looked over, and could see good ol' Sorcerer Mickey standing on the mountain top.
Fantasmic had started back up. Probably right after we left, LOL!!
We got back to the resort and went right to bed. We had a very early morning coming up!
The next day we would be up with the sun and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
Would we have another empty and easy morning??
Find out next time!
Chapter Three coming soon!!
Our afternoon break was a welcome respite, and we felt renewed and ready to head back to DHS for the evening!
Do I look like I'm at Disney World or what??
Ears on, pin lanyard around my neck, Stitch sunglasses, Parkbound button, unflattering room selfie...check. Yep, I'm in Disney World.
We were hungry, so we went downstairs to Roaring Fork for dinner. I really enjoy the quick serve here. For dinner, DH and I had one of my favorite food items on property, the roast beef and blue cheese sandwich on herbed focacia with house-made chips:
I love this sandwich! I don't even know what makes it so good...it's just good. It's tender roast beef, caramelized onions, a blue cheese spread, lettuce, and tomato. Delicious.
The kids both had the pepperoni flat bread
I know it doesn't look like anything special, but it is very good as well.
DH got a brownie, too, which was so rich that we all tried one bite of it, then decided to wrap it up and save it for later. X had a sprinkled sugar cookie (the sugar cookies there are the BEST!), and L and I shared a S'mores cupcake:
This is my favorite Disney cupcake! It's a slightly sweet graham crackerish flavored cake filled with a milk chocolate center, marshmallow frosting, and a Hershey bar nib stuck in the top as a pretty garnish. Try this cupcake!!
Our plan for the evening was to return to Hollywood Studios for some shopping and Fantasmic. I wanted to ride Tower of Terror again, but we weren't able to. We got to the park and saw these topiaries:
Look, I enjoy Frozen, but I got over the Fever a long time ago. They are EVERYWHERE in the parks, so no more worries about having trouble finding merch. Look to your left, there's Frozen stuff. Look to your right, there's Frozen stuff.
That being said...
These topiaries are absolutely gorgeous.
Elsa (who I'm really not a fan of) is fierce:
and Anna (my fave!) is sweet:
When I'd finished gawking at the sisters, we found a pp photographer to take our pictures, but there was a family in front of us, so we waited. While waiting, we noticed something CRAZY. Off to the side, before even going through the tapstiles, Aladdin, Jasmine, AND THE GENIE were out meeting to the side WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER.
I was internally freaking out, my mouth was literally hanging open, and my eyes were bugged out of my head. I started walking over when their handler informed me they were taking their last photo and were heading back in to prepare for Fantasmic. I was so sad!
We went back over to the pp photographer and had our picture made with the Frozen Summer Fun sand sculpture instead. Boo hoo.
When we got into the park, we wandered around taking everything in, looked in some stores, and found the pin station where X had wanted buy something earlier in the day. It was a set of two pins, Stitch with his blanket and bottle with a tiny Scrump. Then he realized he forgot his money at the resort. I can't remember if we caved and bought it for him, or if we made him wait and found it somewhere else. I know he ended up with it eventually.
What had started out as a cool, comfortable early evening rapidly became hot and humid as the sun decided to peek out for awhile. L said he didn't feel well, and had to go to the restroom. After that, we looked in some more shops, but I knew it was time to be thinking about getting to Fantasmic. DH and X went to get us some water from a QS to take in, while I took L BACK to a restroom because he was feeling bad again.
I was stressing out at this point, because I took him to the restroom in front of ToT. On the way here, you pass the lines for Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic. There was a HUGE line, all over the sidewalk...Tour Groups. They were filling up the entire area. I texted DH, and he came over to wait for L while X and I made our way over to the line. The line was stretching from the entrance area for Fantasmic allllllll the way back down the sidewalk, past Beauty and the Beast and to the corner. I asked the people in front of me if this was really the line for Fantasmic and they said yes. I turned around for a minute to talk to the people behind me, and when I faced forward again, I noticed they were gone. A CM came by to make sure everyone was on the sidewalk, and reminded us that the Fantasmic show would be very full, and that there would be a later showing. I knew this, but wanted the early show because we were going to MK the next morning. The people behind me asked her if this was, indeed, the line for Fantasmic, and she said yes.
I tried asking one of the tour group girls if they were in line for Fantasmic, but she didn't speak English. After some pointing to signs and miming a little, we managed to communicate, and she let me know that they were actually waiting for Beauty and the Beast. Almost immediately following that, I heard another CM yelling over the crowd that standby seating for Fantasmic was beginning.
Guess what?
We got to pass all of those Tour Group kids and head on into the theater.
It was a VERY hectic and stressful 20 minutes before we got everything figured out, so I was happy to be going on in. I texted DH again to let him know what was happening, and X and I made our way down toward the seating area (that is one long walk!).
We were seated in the Ursula section at the end of the row, right by the rope separating us from the dining package area, about 2/3 of the way up on row S.
Finally!
It was one hour to show time at this point, so it was time for goofy selfies, cheesy smiles, and general silliness:
The dining section was currently empty, but not for long:
As you can see, it was a full house!
The tour kids had arrived and they were chanting and shouting and pretty much driving everyone insane. I just reminded my family that they were teenagers on a special trip away from their home country, and if we were in their shoes, we'd probably be whooping it up too.
You can tell by that attitude that our trip was just beginning, and the groups hadn't started wearing on me yet.
That would change.
Anyway, the show got started, and we were all very excited. I took a couple of pictures that turned out terrible before deciding to give up on photos of the show. Here's one that's ok:
The show moving right along, the crowd was really into it, and the Pocahontas part began. The canoes came out, and it was lovely. The mood during this is quite heavy and atmospheric...John Smith swooped out on his rope and then...
Blackout.
Quiet.
Announcement:
"Due to an unexpected occurrence, this showing of Fantasmic has been stopped. We will attempt to resume shortly"
Lots of disappointed groans, sighs, shifting around on the seats, etc...
We sat for awhile, then decided we didn't want to wait around for something that might never start back up, figured we could try to catch it later in the week, and made our way toward the exit.
We took a few photos on the way out, stopped for a pp photographer in front of the gates, and headed toward the buses.
At the bus stop, we saw some firework flashes, looked over, and could see good ol' Sorcerer Mickey standing on the mountain top.
Fantasmic had started back up. Probably right after we left, LOL!!
We got back to the resort and went right to bed. We had a very early morning coming up!
The next day we would be up with the sun and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
Would we have another empty and easy morning??
Find out next time!
Chapter Three coming soon!!
I_Luv_Stitch
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
Loving your TR so far! What a great first day in DHS you've had!
It's always the way, when you don't want to wait for something, it always starts again or something happens just as you leave!
Can't wait to read about your early MK day!!
It's always the way, when you don't want to wait for something, it always starts again or something happens just as you leave!
Can't wait to read about your early MK day!!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Joining in! Sounds like such a fun day at HS! You got great seats for Fantasmic, sorry that the technical delay made you guys leave 
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
So unfortunate that after waiting that long you didn't see the show. I'm doing the dinning package to avoid having to be in line so early, but keep second guessing myself. Lol!
allybabba98
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2013
The same thing happened to us with Fantasmic, due to an issue it actually stopped twice. We did decide to stick it out as we were not coming back but lots of people left. I am really looking forward to the Great Movie Ride. I have actually never been on it and I know just from watching videos on YouTube the boys are going to love it! A Smore cupcake...that is awesome.
DisneyAndrew
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
I'm down with this TR...looks like you guys are having a good time!
Just have to say that this pic makes it look like he is biting Mickey's nose!
Too bad about Fantasmic, but I sure hope you get to see it later
Just have to say that this pic makes it look like he is biting Mickey's nose!
Too bad about Fantasmic, but I sure hope you get to see it later
Anesthesia Fine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2014
Following! Even with the Fantasmic disappointment, though, it sounds like you guys did a lot! Your morning was super-impressive (and now I am very hungry for pot pie!).
heycitygirl
Off to Neverland =)
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2015
Loving your report, your updates are too funny! Ugh, the dreaded tour groups. I think we've all had our run-ins, and I'm hoping yours weren't too bad. Can't wait to read more!
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
Aww... sorry about not catching that awesome genie/aladdin/jasmine meet and greet and not being able to catch Fantasmic
I CAN'T WAIT to hear about your MK day though!!!!!
Oh, I hope you do get to check out One Man's Dream on your trip!! I know you will appreciate it!! It's like when you read an amazing book, and you want to tell people about it, but you know that certain people just won't *get* it, so you have to be selective of who you tell, because now you're like, PROTECTIVE, of this book...yeah. It's like that. I know you will *get* One Man's Dream.
My heart was broken at missing out on Al, Jas, and Genie!! I would see them again later in the trip...*spoiler alert* The Genie was meeting with A & J in Adventureland! I missed meeting them again, but got a nice picture. That's near the end of our vacation though.
I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Our DHS day ended up being one of my two favorite days. It just went so smoothly.
And I totally agree about the thing starting right when you give up...every time!
Joining in! Sounds like such a fun day at HS! You got great seats for Fantasmic, sorry that the technical delay made you guys leave
Welcome!!
We did have great seats at Fantasmic, and it was a bummer than we gave up and left. BUT...we were ok with leaving since we had to be up early the next morning.
I had considered the dining package too, even well after making our plans for the trip. I checked the availability off and on as close as 3 days before vacation. I think it's worth it for getting out of a lengthy wait. The first time I ever saw Fantasmic, the group I was with did the dining package.
I read on here the other day that they are testing an alternate way to get into Fantasmic, eliminating FPs and doing some kind of special kiosk system??
It stopped TWICE?? That's frustrating! I"m glad you got to stick it out and see the whole thing, though! It's been years since I'd seen it, but I do enjoy it.
The Great Movie ride is really cool, in my opinion. And yes...the s'more cupcake is awesome!! I could eat one every day!
I'm down with this TR...looks like you guys are having a good time!
Just have to say that this pic makes it look like he is biting Mickey's nose!
Too bad about Fantasmic, but I sure hope you get to see it later
It DOES look like he's eating Mickey's nose! Last year, there was a photo of him on Dumbo, and it looked like the water from the fountain thing in the center of the ride was pouring directly out of his nose. We laughed because we are mature.
The story behind that particular Mickey photo is...X had just asked him if he had marshmallow lasers (from a youtube video song, space unicorn, i think), and I think the "friend of Mickey" knew EXACTLY what X was talking about because he made appropriate hand gestures, mimed laughing, and gave him that high five.
We had an awesome day at DHS! One of my favorite days from the trip. And that pot pie was very tasty!!
I try to be funny! There are stunning successes and spectacular failures on that front!
The tour groups weren't *that* bad, but there were enough irritating moments during the week for me to want to throw things at their heads from time to time, LOL.
Loves The Mouse
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2009
I'm in! Enjoying your trip report. What a great way to wake up to that view! We never did go in to tour 'One Man's Dream', I don't know why??? 
MGM is a small park, we will definitely check it out on our trip in January.
Great pictures, you are immersing the reader into your report! Your two DS's are handsome young men. Touring the parks with young boys perspectives is always fun. Enjoy this time when they still want to do things, because before long they don't want to do character meets or have their picture taken!
MGM is a small park, we will definitely check it out on our trip in January. Great pictures, you are immersing the reader into your report! Your two DS's are handsome young men. Touring the parks with young boys perspectives is always fun. Enjoy this time when they still want to do things, because before long they don't want to do character meets or have their picture taken!
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
Sounds like a fun day at DHS except for the malfunction of FantasmicOh well. We have never seen the show and have booked the dinner package for our trip in September. (Yes, I think Walt looks dreamy in that picture too)
THANK YOU for agreeing with me about the Walt thing!! I love you for that
The Fantasmic issue was a pain, but oh well. What can ya do?
I'm in! Enjoying your trip report. What a great way to wake up to that view! We never did go in to tour 'One Man's Dream', I don't know why???
Great pictures, you are immersing the reader into your report! Your two DS's are handsome young men. Touring the parks with young boys perspectives is always fun. Enjoy this time when they still want to do things, because before long they don't want to do character meets or have their picture taken!
Oh, I hope you do visit One Man's Dream the next time you are there. It's really very special!
I love Disney with my kids, and they are very good sports 90% of the time. My oldest is a little more cranky, but once he's in the moment, he has the time of his life. It's just the getting him up and going that's the tough part!
I LOVED meeting Sorcerer Mickey! He was great. We had an amazing time.
I know, it's a bummer about Fantasmic
I was looking forward to sharing it with my family, and it had been YEARSSSS since I'd seen it myself (like, 2001. Years.)I'm glad you're here and following!!
xlsm
Snow White
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
Good afternoon, Friends! It's awesome to have so many of you here and joining in on our adventures!!
We just got home from an afternoon showing of Ant Man. It came out on L's birthday, but we were just a teensy bit busy that day (we were at Universal/IOA) and didn't get to see it when it opened.
We LOVED this movie!! It was hilarious. Predictable in that general comic book movie way, but completely entertaining. Of course, I'll watch Paul Rudd in anything. I love him. (Don't tell DH)
Next movie up for us will be Pixels. I know it isn't getting good reviews, but all four of us have been looking forward to it for months. Plus, my imaginary BFF Ashley Benson (she plays Hanna on Pretty Little Liars, but I knew her waaaay back when she was on Days of our Lives) is in it so...OH, and not to mention Peter Dinklage, who I also love and adore.
But you guys aren't here to listen to me prattle on about MOVIES are you??
Nope. No you are not. You want Disney!
Good.
Cause I've got plenty to share about Disney.
Here begins...
Chapter Three...in which Wishes come true
We had a fairly late night the evening before, but a Magic Kingdom morning requires an early wake up. Originally, we'd had a Be Our Guest breakfast scheduled at 8am before park opening. Park hours changed however, and the park would now be opening at 8:00am instead of 9. I had to do a little rearranging of that ADR and a couple of Fast Passes. Luckily, it was all really easy to fix, and we moved our ADR to 9:45, so we wouldn't have to miss out on early touring time OR that new breakfast experience.
We woke up to this view
If you're wondering, NO, it never got old waking up to that each day!!
The alarm went off around 6ish, and we moved a little slower than I liked, but made it to the MK around 7:40ish I think. I'd never been to the MK when it opened at 8:00 before, so in my mind I thought it would be similar to a 9:00 opening - crowded early.
I was wrong!
Twenty minutes before opening, and it looked like this:
We made our way to the right side, very close to the entrance gates, about 20 people back from the first people in line to enter the park.
At this point it began to get a little more crowded, but nothing like I was used to
We watched the welcome show at an odd angle than normal, but it was still cute! One of the Dapper Dans was the MC for the morning
The park opened, we walked inside. It's always so much to take in!! As we made our way down Main Street, I caught my first glimpse of my summer home:
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm so grateful to Cinderella for taking such good care of it while I'm away
We had goals this morning, so no time to waste!
We got to the Hub and took a right
Tomorrowland!!
It's my tradition to start here on the first MK morning, and now it is a family tradition as well.
Our first stop was Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin. We LOVE this ride. My photopass pictures for it did not make it into our account, but I sent off a missing photo form, so hopefully I'll have them back soon. If/When I do get it back, I'll edit it in here.
But the important part is THIS:
I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'M THE WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I really am that excited about slaying my 11 year old son at a game.
No child can beat....THE GRINCH.
Ahem. Excuse me. Sorry.
I got a little carried away there for a second.
The point is...I won and I"m better than him.
Moving on...
After a very quick trip through the dump shop, the next stop was here:
I don't want to show the ride photos. They are really bad. If you think some of the photos I've already posted are not painting us in the best light...well, just trust me when I say these ride pics were worse.
*shudder*
Full disclosure...I think I'm getting old, because Space Mountain was less fun and more like Fight Club this time around.
We exited the ride and took our favorite "secret path".
Oh my gosh you guys, the crowds were COMPLETELY out of control:
Just kidding.
There were no crowds. It was slightly eerie and a lot of awesome.
We were headed to Dumbo, but got distracted by this:
X and DH sat this one out, but L and I got to ride it THREE TIMES IN A ROW. We didn't even have to get out of our seats. We could have kept going, but we were ready to move on after three rounds. After our last ride, someone else came through the line. The CMs were cracking me up. They were not too concerned with being in character for their roles, they were talking about how difficult and expensive it is to drink your way around the world at Epcot.
They were obviously lightweights.
Later days, Goofy. We have an elephant to track down.
X loves Dumbo, so that was the next logical stop. He rode with me
I swear he was actually happy to be here. He just really does not enjoy all of my picture taking.
DH and L are somewhere back there in the throng of other guests
Gotcha again.
Still no people.
We grasped our magic feather tight and flew up up and away. Soon we were back on solid ground, and saying goodbye to our elephant pal.
I do believe, Timothy. I really do. And I will soar.
Was it getting crowded yet??
No. No it was not.
When we left Dumbo, since it was so deserted, I figured we could walk right in to meet Pete's Silly Sideshow characters. I was very, very, VERY excited about this meet. It was a priority for me. We walked up and the wait time said 5 minutes, but the doors were closed. I was confused. A CM came up and told us they didn't start meeting until 9am, and I was very sad. It was only 8:35ish at this point (yes, we had done all of that other stuff in 35 measly minutes!) and I didn't want to hang around to wait.
Sad face.
We left the Circus and entered the castle-y part of New Fantasyland.
My goodness.
Is this place gorgeous or what?
I feel like people on here hate on NFL quite a bit, express disappointment in the ride offerings and what not, but in my opinion, you just can't argue about how perfectly themed it is. I truly love it.
Does this prove my point??
Beautiful.
We decided to visit Scuttle and take a journey under the sea.
Such a pretty queue!
I mean, LOOK at this stuff! Isn't it neat??
L is obviously captivated.
When we came back to the surface, we looked around a little more, and decided we were really hungry!!
It was way too early for our ADR, but we took a chance and went to ask the gatekeepers at BOG if we could come in early. When I gave my name, she said there were still two active reservations in my name (uh, well, I got the cancellation confirmation to prove I really cancelled, lady! Swear it!), which was nice to know I guess. She fixed that on her little tablet thingie, asked if we had pre-ordered (we had), gave us a rose, and sent us on into the castle.
Next up in part two...
Breakfast in the Beast's Castle.
Hang in there, more is coming soon!!
We just got home from an afternoon showing of Ant Man. It came out on L's birthday, but we were just a teensy bit busy that day (we were at Universal/IOA) and didn't get to see it when it opened.
We LOVED this movie!! It was hilarious. Predictable in that general comic book movie way, but completely entertaining. Of course, I'll watch Paul Rudd in anything. I love him. (Don't tell DH)
Next movie up for us will be Pixels. I know it isn't getting good reviews, but all four of us have been looking forward to it for months. Plus, my imaginary BFF Ashley Benson (she plays Hanna on Pretty Little Liars, but I knew her waaaay back when she was on Days of our Lives) is in it so...OH, and not to mention Peter Dinklage, who I also love and adore.
But you guys aren't here to listen to me prattle on about MOVIES are you??
Nope. No you are not. You want Disney!
Good.
Cause I've got plenty to share about Disney.
Here begins...
Chapter Three...in which Wishes come true
We had a fairly late night the evening before, but a Magic Kingdom morning requires an early wake up. Originally, we'd had a Be Our Guest breakfast scheduled at 8am before park opening. Park hours changed however, and the park would now be opening at 8:00am instead of 9. I had to do a little rearranging of that ADR and a couple of Fast Passes. Luckily, it was all really easy to fix, and we moved our ADR to 9:45, so we wouldn't have to miss out on early touring time OR that new breakfast experience.
We woke up to this view
If you're wondering, NO, it never got old waking up to that each day!!
The alarm went off around 6ish, and we moved a little slower than I liked, but made it to the MK around 7:40ish I think. I'd never been to the MK when it opened at 8:00 before, so in my mind I thought it would be similar to a 9:00 opening - crowded early.
I was wrong!
Twenty minutes before opening, and it looked like this:
We made our way to the right side, very close to the entrance gates, about 20 people back from the first people in line to enter the park.
At this point it began to get a little more crowded, but nothing like I was used to
We watched the welcome show at an odd angle than normal, but it was still cute! One of the Dapper Dans was the MC for the morning
The park opened, we walked inside. It's always so much to take in!! As we made our way down Main Street, I caught my first glimpse of my summer home:
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm so grateful to Cinderella for taking such good care of it while I'm away
We had goals this morning, so no time to waste!
We got to the Hub and took a right
Tomorrowland!!
It's my tradition to start here on the first MK morning, and now it is a family tradition as well.
Our first stop was Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin. We LOVE this ride. My photopass pictures for it did not make it into our account, but I sent off a missing photo form, so hopefully I'll have them back soon. If/When I do get it back, I'll edit it in here.
But the important part is THIS:
I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'M THE WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I really am that excited about slaying my 11 year old son at a game.
No child can beat....THE GRINCH.
Ahem. Excuse me. Sorry.
I got a little carried away there for a second.
The point is...I won and I"m better than him.
Moving on...
After a very quick trip through the dump shop, the next stop was here:
I don't want to show the ride photos. They are really bad. If you think some of the photos I've already posted are not painting us in the best light...well, just trust me when I say these ride pics were worse.
*shudder*
Full disclosure...I think I'm getting old, because Space Mountain was less fun and more like Fight Club this time around.
We exited the ride and took our favorite "secret path".
Oh my gosh you guys, the crowds were COMPLETELY out of control:
Just kidding.
There were no crowds. It was slightly eerie and a lot of awesome.
We were headed to Dumbo, but got distracted by this:
X and DH sat this one out, but L and I got to ride it THREE TIMES IN A ROW. We didn't even have to get out of our seats. We could have kept going, but we were ready to move on after three rounds. After our last ride, someone else came through the line. The CMs were cracking me up. They were not too concerned with being in character for their roles, they were talking about how difficult and expensive it is to drink your way around the world at Epcot.
They were obviously lightweights.
Later days, Goofy. We have an elephant to track down.
X loves Dumbo, so that was the next logical stop. He rode with me
I swear he was actually happy to be here. He just really does not enjoy all of my picture taking.
DH and L are somewhere back there in the throng of other guests
Gotcha again.
Still no people.
We grasped our magic feather tight and flew up up and away. Soon we were back on solid ground, and saying goodbye to our elephant pal.
I do believe, Timothy. I really do. And I will soar.
Was it getting crowded yet??
No. No it was not.
When we left Dumbo, since it was so deserted, I figured we could walk right in to meet Pete's Silly Sideshow characters. I was very, very, VERY excited about this meet. It was a priority for me. We walked up and the wait time said 5 minutes, but the doors were closed. I was confused. A CM came up and told us they didn't start meeting until 9am, and I was very sad. It was only 8:35ish at this point (yes, we had done all of that other stuff in 35 measly minutes!) and I didn't want to hang around to wait.
Sad face.
We left the Circus and entered the castle-y part of New Fantasyland.
My goodness.
Is this place gorgeous or what?
I feel like people on here hate on NFL quite a bit, express disappointment in the ride offerings and what not, but in my opinion, you just can't argue about how perfectly themed it is. I truly love it.
Does this prove my point??
Beautiful.
We decided to visit Scuttle and take a journey under the sea.
Such a pretty queue!
I mean, LOOK at this stuff! Isn't it neat??
L is obviously captivated.
When we came back to the surface, we looked around a little more, and decided we were really hungry!!
It was way too early for our ADR, but we took a chance and went to ask the gatekeepers at BOG if we could come in early. When I gave my name, she said there were still two active reservations in my name (uh, well, I got the cancellation confirmation to prove I really cancelled, lady! Swear it!), which was nice to know I guess. She fixed that on her little tablet thingie, asked if we had pre-ordered (we had), gave us a rose, and sent us on into the castle.
Next up in part two...
Breakfast in the Beast's Castle.
Hang in there, more is coming soon!!
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Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
